Sandoz to donate up to USD 10 million of high-quality generic medicines annually to Americares to increase access to medicines

PRINCETON, N.J., Nov. 22, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Sandoz today announced a collaboration to increase access to medicines by donating up to USD 10 million of stock annually to Americares, a health-focused relief and development organization that responds to people affected by poverty or disaster with life-changing health programs, medicine and medical supplies.

The initial donation will include over 25 Sandoz products for treatment for infections, cardiovascular conditions, eyecare, skin conditions and musculoskeletal pain. It is part of the global Sandoz commitment to combine a broad portfolio of off-patent, added-value medicines with innovative services and corporate responsibility programs to improve access to medicine, medical information and medical capacity. Product donations will be made available throughout the year to Americares. The number and selection of products may change based on specific and on-going medical needs.

"Limited access to healthcare poses a significant barrier to long-term social and economic development around the world," said Peter Goldschmidt, President of Sandoz Inc. "Our collaboration with Americares will hopefully help thousands of people receive treatments that would otherwise be unavailable to them. At Sandoz, we are passionate about helping people around the world access high-quality medicine with a particular emphasis on meeting specific health needs in underprivileged communities."

According to the World Health Organization, more than 400 million people lack access to essential health services and more than two billion cannot afford the medicines they need. In addition, with the global population projected to reach 8.5 billion by 2030 and with most of this growth in developing countries, ensuring broad access to medicine and healthcare is an increasingly critical issue.

"This new collaboration with Sandoz will allow us to increase deliveries of some of the most essential and desperately needed medications to partner hospitals and health clinics in over 90 countries," said Americares President and CEO Michael J. Nyenhuis. "Together we will give more patients in need a pathway to good health and opportunity so they can reach their full potential."

Our commitment to corporate responsibility

Sandoz, the Novartis generic and biosimilar pharmaceutical division, is committed to driving global access to medicines, medical information and medical capacity through a range of programs, including philanthropy, zero-profit, social ventures, specifically targeting those most in need. These include:

• Sandoz sponsors the New Life and New Hope initiative, a program to improve maternal and child health and to reduce mortality associated with childbirth. The program has provided training for over 100 Ethiopian midwives so far, impacting well over 40,000 mothers and children.
• Sandoz partners with the UN to deliver key antibiotic amoxicillin (dispersible tablets, 250 mg: the WHO preferred pediatric formulation), to help avoid millions of preventable deaths from pneumonia.
• Breathe Africa, launched by Sandoz in 2015 in Zambia is a respiratory health and education program aimed at improving diagnosis and treatment of asthma by sharing expertise and donating key medicines. The program supports European doctors working with local healthcare professionals to improve asthma diagnosis and treatment.

In addition, Sandoz operates two of Novartis Group's leading access-to-medicines programs:

• The Novartis Malaria Initiative has provided more than 800 million treatments without profit since 2001 primarily to the public sector in malaria-endemic countries.
• Novartis Access, launched in 2015, is a Group-wide initiative that supports expanded access to our medicines in low- and lower-middle income countries. The program focuses on affordability and availability of 15 on- and off-patent medicines addressing key noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) – cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, respiratory illnesses, and breast cancer.

Sandoz has supported Americares since 1989. Over the years, Novartis and Sandoz together have donated more than USD 230 million worth of medicine to Americares. We have revitalized the collaboration to continue to provide medicines to remote communities around the world as well as communities in crisis. Americares has delivered more than USD 13 billion in humanitarian aid to 164 countries, including the United States, since it was established in 1979.

About Sandoz
Sandoz is a global leader in generic pharmaceuticals and biosimilars. As a division of the worldwide Novartis Group, our purpose is to discover new ways to improve and extend people's lives. We contribute to society's ability to support growing healthcare needs by pioneering novel approaches to help people around the world access high-quality medicine. Our portfolio of approximately 1000 molecules, covering all major therapeutic areas, accounted for 2015 sales of USD 10.1 billion. In 2015, our products reached more than 500 million patients and we aspire to reach one billion. Sandoz is headquartered in Holzkirchen, in Germany's Greater Munich area.

Sandoz is on Twitter. Sign up to follow @Sandoz_global at http://twitter.com/Sandoz_Global

About Americares
Americares is a health-focused relief and development organization that responds to people affected by poverty or disaster with life-changing health programs, medicine and medical supplies. Each year, Americares reaches more than 90 countries and all 50 U.S. states with over $600 million in innovative health programs and quality medical aid. Americares is the world's leading nonprofit provider of donated medicine and medical supplies. For more information, visit americares.org

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161121/441847LOGO

SOURCE Sandoz

Related Links

http://www.sandoz.com